Five Times Flowers
by danrdarrenc
Summary: Four times in their relationship Reid bought Luke flowers...and one time Luke sent flowers to Reid. One-shot.


Luke and Reid were never the kind of couple who were overly romantic – or romantic at all, for that matter. Reid hated dinners for two and cheesy greeting cards, and Luke found that merely spending a few extra minutes in bed together on their anniversaries and birthdays was more romantic and meaningful than the biggest box of chocolates.

But once in a while, whenever it took their fancy, and when they least expected it, Luke and Reid found themselves giving into clichés. It didn't happen often, and it certainly was never planned, but five times – no more, no less – in their relationship, Luke and Reid discovered just how wonderful it was to be so stereotypically in love. They weren't on Valentine's Day and they weren't on anniversaries or birthdays. There were simply five moments in their relationship when sending flowers became the most natural thing to do.

Four times it was Reid who sent Luke flowers:

**1.** It was a couple years into their relationship and one morning Luke opened the paper to find Damian's face staring at him. Reid hurried into the kitchen when he heard the clanking of silverware on the floor and saw Luke staring horror-struck at the paper.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Reid asked, walking over to where Luke was sitting.

"Damian was arrested for the murder of a woman and her son," Luke said in a whisper.

"Where?" Reid asked, sitting down next to Luke and taking the paper from him.

"In Malta. But it made our papers here because he used to live here," Luke said, running his hands through his hair and jumping out of his chair.

"Where are you going?" Reid asked, concerned at the wild look in Luke's eyes.

"My parents' house. I have to talk to them. I'll call you later," Luke said. He swiftly kissed Reid and hurried out the door.

When Luke returned home three hours later, Reid wasn't there, but he found a vase of newly-blooming sunflowers sitting on the coffee table, which sat in front of the couch. Dropping his keys next to the vase, Luke picked up the card that was stuck in between the flowers and read: _Had to go in for emergency surgery. Hope you found the info from your folks you needed. And hope these make you feel better. Love, Reid._

Grinning ear-to-ear, Luke sat down on the couch and thought that just maybe romance was better when it was least expected.

**2.** Luke and Reid had just gotten engaged – literally, _just_ (it had happened twelve hours ago) – when Luke opened that day's mail and found an envelope from Noah. In his haste to open the letter, Luke dropped the other pieces of mail. Two minutes later, Reid walked in the door. He found Luke sitting on the couch looking blankly at a piece of paper. Concerned, Reid dropped his medical bag, sat down on the couch, and took the paper from Luke's hands.

"He's getting married," Luke said a little hoarsely.

"So are you," Reid said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. But he's marrying a _woman_," Luke said, looking at Reid.

"He was never good enough for you," Reid said emphatically.

Luke smiled and rested his head on Reid's shoulder, as Reid wrapped his arm around Luke's back.

"Why would he even invite you?" Reid asked, brushing his lips against Luke's hair. "It's not exactly the best thing to invite an ex to your wedding."

"I don't know. To rub it in my face?"

"Idiot," Reid mumbled.

Luke smiled, closed his eyes, and snuggled closer to Reid.

The next day when Luke woke up, he was alone in bed with a note left from Reid saying he was at the hospital. Realizing he had four missed calls from his grandmother, Luke remember that he was supposed to have a meeting at WorldWide. He quickly took a shower and got dressed and went into work. When he got out of his god-awful, boring meeting, Luke walked into his office only to find a single, light pink orchid, floating in water and a card sitting on the table in front of the vase. Walking over to his desk, Luke picked up the card and read: _Sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. Doogie needed me to take his shift. Don't know if you're going to get this one first, or the other eleven at the apartment. Either way, hope they take your mind off of Noah. He's not worth it._

Smiling and smelling the orchid's sweet scent, Luke was quite sure that Reid was right.

**3. **It was about a year after Luke and Reid had gotten married, about ten years since they met, when Luke came home one day, his eyes puffy and red, while Reid was sitting at the kitchen table looking over some brain scans.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Reid asked, disturbed that Luke had been crying.

Luke's lip trembled and fresh tears spilled down his face, as he sat down on the couch without responding to Reid.

Really concerned now, Reid walked over to the couch and embraced Luke. After a few minutes, Luke's sobs subsided and he was able to tell Reid why he was upset.

Still sniffling, Luke said, "I just came from the farm. I was there all day. My dad had called me this morning to tell me that my mare Goldie had fallen. She broke her leg."

Luke stopped talking and buried his face in Reid's shoulder.

"Is she alright?" Reid asked.

Luke shook his head against Reid's neck and said, "We had to put her down."

Reid wrapped his arms around Luke's waist. "I'm sorry."

After a little while, Luke lifted his head and shifted so his back was leaning against the side of Reid's chest. "She was the first horse I ever took care of. My dad gave her to me for my sixth birthday. The only time I ever rode another horse was when Goldie was pregnant."

"I'm really sorry, Luke," Reid said, kissing Luke's forehead.

"It's okay. I knew it was going to happen eventually. I just didn't expect it so suddenly."

"Let's watch the Cubs lose. It'll make you feel better," Reid said, picking up the remote and turning on the TV.

Luke smiled slightly and said, "I doubt it," but snuggled closer to Reid.

The next day, when Luke came home from an early meeting at Grimaldi Shipping, he found a vase of flowers sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch. Dropping his keys on the table, Luke picked up the card and read: _At the hospital doing rounds. Will be home for dinner. Hope these marigolds help you remember your lost friend, your mare Goldie._

Laughing, smiling, and suddenly feeling a whole lot better, Luke went into the kitchen and made himself a grilled cheese.

**4. **One day, somewhere around the beginning of September, just about a year after they had first declared their love for each other, Luke was sitting on the couch in their apartment reading a book. Reid had been called in for emergency surgery and Luke was waiting for him to come home so they could go to the movie they had planned to see that night. Just as Luke was about to call the hospital to see if Reid was done, Reid walked in the doorway. He dropped his medical bag on the table and walked back out of the apartment without saying anything to Luke.

Confused and hurt, Luke got of the couch and made to follow Reid, but he came back in carrying a bouquet of red roses. Luke's mouth dropped open into a perfect, comical 'O'. Reid quickly but gently placed the roses on the table, walked over to the stunned Luke, and kissed him hard on the lips. When they broke apart, Luke blinked at Reid.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked, concerned.

"These are for you," Reid said, picking up the flowers and handing them to Luke without answering his question.

"They're lovely. Thank you. But what are they for?" Luke asked, putting them in water.

Reid sat down on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. "My patient – the one I just operated on – her car got stuck on the train tracks."

"That's terrible," Luke said, sitting down next to Reid.

Reid nodded and entwined his fingers with Luke's. "Luckily she was able to get out of the car just before the train hit it, but the force of the train's speed threw her backwards and she hit her head on a rock."

"Is she alright?" Luke asked, running his free hand through Reid's curls.

"She'll be fine. There wasn't too much damage."

"You still didn't answer why you bought me roses," Luke said.

"Her boyfriend was there. They'd been together since the beginning of college. He looked so broken before I told him she was going to be okay. They had had a fight earlier that day and he was distraught at the thought that he wouldn't be able to tell her that he loved her a final time. As I was standing there, I realized that I don't want that to be us." Luke looked silently at Reid. "I don't tell you enough that I love you. That's what the flowers are for. Tangible proof that I love you."

His face stained with tears, Luke wrapped his arms around Reid's neck and brought their lips together. Reid wrapped his arms around Luke's waist and pulled him closer as he deepened the kiss.

When they broke apart, Luke embraced Reid tightly. "I love you, Reid. So much. I hope you always know that."

Reid pulled away from the hug to look Luke in the eyes. "I do. I love you, too."

…And one time Luke sent Reid flowers:

**1.** Reid had had a patient – a little girl of three – with a malignant brain tumor. Reid had tried desperately for nearly a year to keep her alive, surgery after surgery, different technique after different technique, until, finally, he had had to come to terms with the fact that he simply would not be able to save her. The day he realized this, he carefully and painfully explained to the girl's parents that he had done everything he could, but that she was going to die in only a couple months time.

That night he had come home, barely said hello to Luke, and walked straight into the nursery where their two year-old daughter lay sleeping in her crib. Not caring if he woke her, Reid picked her up and sat in the rocking chair, rocking back and forth, cradling her in his arms. When a confused and worried Luke came into the room, Reid had detailed what had happened and Luke understood that Reid was distraught. Though Reid always tried his hardest to save all of his patients, this loss really hit him hard – because of their daughter.

The next day, when he was on his lunch break, Reid walked into his office and found sitting on his desk a mixed bouquet of the four types of flowers he had sent Luke over the years – sunflowers, orchids, marigolds, and roses. Reid picked up the note stuck in the vase and read: _I know how upset you are that you can't save your little patient. I hope that these can make that pain a little bit easier. Don't be too hard on yourself; I know you did everything you could. I love you. So does Julie. Xoxoxo_. Sitting down in his chair, Reid smiled and thought that maybe being cliché wasn't that bad after all.


End file.
